Pincer Nomenclature

Black makes a pincer against the marked white stone by playing next at one out of a to f.

Here a, c and e are called low pincers, because they employ the third line. And b, d and f are called high pincers.

Many considerations are involved in choosing between a
high vs low pincer. Sometimes there are several equally correct choices of pincer.

In this position, all six pincers are seen in professional games (though the one at c is out of fashion). The same is true when Black has the 4-4 point and White approaches (at 6-3): with all pincers correspondingly moved one to the right, of course.

When White approaches 3-4 at 5-4, some of the low pincers are rare (see missing pincer). Discussion there suggests a new concept of quasi-pincer.

The two pincers shown above are called one-space low (or high) pincers. And so on with the two-space and three-space pincers (see [02] and [03] below), the number (1, 2, or 3) referring to the number of clear lines between the pincer itself () and the stone to be pincered ().

One-space pincers, because of their short distance to the pincered stones, are also known as close pincers. These are the most forceful because they can lead to severefollow-ups if the opponent decides to ignore the pincer and to play elsewhere. (For example, black can choose to play at the red squares.)

That doesn't mean that they are the best, or most common. It depends how the fighting will proceed - a closer pincer may be counter-attacked more easily by a counter-pincer[99].

These are the two-space pincers. For many years, the two-space high pincer (in Japanese, niken-takabasami) was the favoured pincer of professionals in the position shown; but that judgement no longer has the same standing.